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INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Hart watched the tape and did not recognize himself.
He despised what he saw.
Hart produced likely his worst performance of the postseason in the Knicks’ Game 4 loss to the Pacers on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
He committed five turnovers.
He had just one assist.
He committed unnecessary fouls and struggled on the defensive end.
In the previous game, I felt like I was making an effort, but upon reviewing the footage, I was truly ashamed of my performance, my appearance, and the noticeable absence of intensity, passion, and competitiveness,” Hart confessed following the Knicks’ 111-94 victory in Game 5 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. “Honestly, I was ashamed. It wasn’t just about the turnovers, but also about allowing backdoor cuts, failing to communicate effectively. I’m expected to exhibit a high level of competitiveness and energy on the court. Those were aspects that I couldn’t even bear to confront in the mirror, let alone face my teammates.”
The Knicks’ defensive effort was dramatically improved Thursday, and that was especially true for Hart.
The Knicks had a 101.4 defensive rating (points given up per 100 possessions) when Hart was on the floor in Game 5.
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That was a steep improvement from the 117.7 mark in Game 5.
And he limited his mistakes, committing three turnovers and dishing out four assists.
“I put everything on the back burner,” Hart said. “Scoring, all those kinds of things. It was just go out there and be aggressive defensively, try to get into the ball, fly around and get offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, get these guys going. I’ve got to do that next game and sometimes I’ve got to be a little more aggressive offensively and pick my spots. But I was embarrassed how I played Game 4 and I knew I had to come in and pick it up.”
To continue their comeback in the series, the Knicks will need that exact mentality again.
